Pawprints (ch5)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU!!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 5. The Confession

When the sunlight stretched out enough to reach the cave the next morning, Weiss blinked her eyes open slowly as her senses came back to her.

There were a few things she noticed right away. For one, she felt warm, but she knew it wasn't her own temperature. There was light snoring, but it wasn't Yang's. There was a slight rise and fall of the surface beneath her torso, and finally, everything came rushing back to her.

Weiss remembered everything calmly, glad she didn't jump or shriek out in confusion; she didn't want Blake thinking she was scared of her. She wasn't.

Tentatively, Weiss rubbed her hands over Blake's shoulders as she slept, humming softly. But a growling stomach was soon to rouse her, and Weiss could feel a hollowness clawing at her own belly as well.

/But first order of business, even before breakfast, is to find water./

Weiss hated to wake her companion, but she wanted to get moving as soon as possible. She reached out to gently run a hand over Blake's muzzle, scratching lightly between her eyes.

"Blake? Good morning," she said softly with a smile.

. . .

The sunlight that reached the cave splashed across Blake's face, and her eyes scrunched tighter. She tried to remember why she had fallen asleep in her panther form when she felt a weight pressing against her side.

/That's right. My life completely changed yesterday.../

She felt hands running gently through the fur on her shoulders. Soft humming reached her ears as she felt the rumbling in her stomach.

We need food and water.

Blake brought her head up to look at Weiss, her heart fluttering when she saw the girl's smiling face. Yawning, Blake stood up, transforming back into a human.

"Good morning, Weiss. How are you?" she asked sleepily before the growling of the huntress' stomach answered her question. "We should see about getting some more food." She stretched her arms up above her head as she yawned again.

. . .

Weiss couldn't look away as Blake morphed once again. She really wasn't sure if the girl's human or cat form was more beautiful. They both were, but in different ways.

She might've preferred this form a bit more, though; Weiss liked having someone to talk to.

"Right." Weiss turned back to her bag, folding up the blanket they had slept on last night. "If we could find a stream around here, I can fill this." She pulled out a canteen from her bag, using the freed space to put the blanket back inside. "It's not very big, but it'll hold us over, at least until we can mold some mud or stone into a bucket of sorts."

She changed out of her comfortable clothes and slipped into her hunting pants and top instead. "If you could take me to a stream, I'll take care of the water, and you can drink. Then perhaps you can go off to catch us something to eat? And maybe we can mark the way to the water for the future. Scratch a few tree trunks here and there?"

She realized she was doing an awful lot of talking. "Sorry if I'm sounding pushy. You'd know better than me what to do in this situation. You'll find I tend to babble."

. . .

Blake held her hands up in a placating gesture.

"No need to apologize, I was going to suggest the same thing. Want me to carry anything? I can probably hold more as a panther than you can." She twisted her back to work out the kinks while she spoke. "Anything you want me to try and catch in particular?"

. . .

"No, it's fine," Weiss reassured her. "I'll leave everything here, but the canteen. I'll just fill that up at the stream and then come back here on my own. I'll follow the trail marks you make on the way there. We can meet back here when you've finished your hunt," she decided, securing the canteen into place on her hip.

"Anything you can manage is fine. Don't dwell on it too much - just do whatever you can. We'll make it work, no matter what." She wasn't about to pressure Blake. The menu was probably limited anyway, so she wasn't going to be picky.

Weiss was eager to explore the forest a bit more. She wanted to know what kinds of plants grew where for future reference.

"All right. I'm ready when you are."

. . .

Blake nodded as she bent over and transformed into a cat once more. Bending down, she let Weiss clamber onto her back and get comfortable.

Once the other girl was set, Blake took up an easy pace out of the cave and through the forest, heading for the nearest stream. As she ran, Blake would stop every couple dozen yards to claw at a tree, leaving deep gouges in the bark where her claws tore through it.

They reached the stream, a small flow that burbled over rocks. Blake let Weiss off of her back. While Weiss began filling the canteen, Blake drank straight from the stream, lapping water up with her long tongue.

Once she had quenched her thirst, Blake looked to Weiss for assurance that she could go. Weiss nodded, and so Blake took off into the forest in search of breakfast.

. . .

Weiss made a sort of mental map of the direction they took to the stream in addition to Blake's markings. When they arrived at their destination, Weiss was more than satisfied. It was a quiet flow of water, but wide and about shin-deep, allowing for fish to swim there. It would be good for bathing and washing clothes as well, and the water was fairly clear.

Weiss dismounted, and once Blake had drank, the huntress waved her off, watching her companion until the black tip of her tail had vanished.

Then, the girl turned back to the stream, dunking her hands in first and drinking from them, savoring the cold liquid as it trickled down her throat. She drank as much as she needed before unscrewing the lid of her canteen and holding it under, filling it to capacity before fastening it back into place at her hip.

Refreshed now, Weiss stood and turned back in the direction which they had come. With Blake's stride, the journey here had taken about five minutes, so it shouldn't take terribly long for Weiss to reach the cave again if she was quick about it.

Seeking out the first scratched tree to mark her way, she headed off into the forest again.

. . .

Blake stalked through the undergrowth of the forest, her belly brushing against the ground as she stalked her prey. A family of small deer was grazing through the grass, unaware of the danger lurking close at hand.

Blake got as close as she dared without alerting her prey, picking which one she would attack. A medium-sized buck caught her eyes - she saw the limp in his legs as he walked and knew he would be easy prey.

Without taking another moment to hesitate, Blake erupted from her hiding spot, landing with her front paws on the deer's side and her jaws closing around his throat. It thrashed underneath her for a moment, trying in vain to escape as its blood flowed into Blake's mouth. Blake sunk her teeth in deeper, wanting to end the animal's suffering. Eventually it grew still underneath her.

There had always been a sense of pride that came with her kills, knowing she had a pack to bring them back to. But now she only had Weiss, and somehow that felt even more special.

. . .

It was a bit difficult for Weiss to stay on track, more so mentally than physically. The marks Blake had made were easy enough to follow, but Weiss kept getting sidetracked by the various plants growing around, making note after note in her mind about which bush grew where.

/More parsley by the third marked tree, and moss on the rocks by the fifth. We can come back later and collect some of that for bedding./

It was too late when she realized she'd neglected to be wary of her surroundings. This was a wild forest, after all.

She heard what was hunting her before she saw it, and she froze instantly. But she had left her knives and other weapons back at the cave, thinking she'd be with Blake most of the way and would've been able to get back without her smoothly. Surely she had Blake's panther scent on her and that would deter other predators?

But evidently, her human scent was still strong, and this wolf hand snuffed her out.

It was alone at least, but it was large, a male that probably weighed as much as Weiss herself if not more. She moved slowly once it was clearly in sight before her, bending down to close her fingers over a small rock. With a quick motion, she threw it off into the woods, successfully distracting the animal for a split second.

Hiding would only leave her as a sitting duck, and trying to climb a tree from here would take too long; he'd reach her first.

All she could do was run.

She could hear the snarling and heavy thud of paws behind her instantly, and even at her top speed, she was still weary from hunger, her boots garbage in this gravel in comparison to a wolf's padded paws.

It leapt, barking furiously as it bowled into her from behind, taking her down easily. The impact left her rolling a few feet, but the wolf quickly chased and pounced on her again, claws pinning her down on her back, stomach exposed. Weiss whimpered and screamed and tried to struggle, but the wolf had no sympathy; she was the prey now.

Fangs sank deep into the junction between her shoulder and neck, and Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs as excruciating pain tore through her. The blood was hot and instantly covered her, and the jaws went deeper, shaking her in an effort to tear the chunk of flesh clean off. Weiss kicked and screamed weakly beneath it, and only one word managed to sound past the agonized sobs:

"BLAKE!"

. . .

Blake was dragging the deer carcass back with her through the forest, moving at a slow methodical pace.

She was almost back to the cave when she heard a scream.

But not just any scream.

Blake's heart sunk as she recognized that voice, clearly able to hear the pain and desperation even from this distance. Dropping their would-be breakfast, Blake tore through the forest as fast as she could, her ears leading her directly to the source.

Soon, she broke through a bush and saw what was happening.

A large wolf had had sunk its fangs into Weiss' shoulder, and Weiss was faded beneath it.

Blake bore her fangs and roared in fury as she leapt at the wolf, knocking it off of Weiss and sending herself and the dog rolling. Its flailing paws did nothing to her at the peak of her rage. She ended up on top and quickly closed her jaws on its throat.

This was no easy prey like the deer though. The wolf thrashed underneath her and knocked her off before she could tear its throat out. It recovered faster than her and circled her, wary of the panther, but too frenzied with bloodlust and hunger to give up a meal.

Blake rolled to her feet as it rushed her, knocking her to the ground with the wolf on top. Before it could snap its jaws into her neck she kicked it with her back legs, tearing its stomach with her long claws.

. . .

A terrifying roar ripped through the air, and somewhere in her gut, she knew it was Blake. The proof came when a heavy impact knocked into the wolf above her, the jaws tearing from her flesh as Blake tackled the beast.

She could hear the sounds of their fight, bestial and raging, each one seething with wrath for different reasons. Weiss could hear the cries of pain, praying they weren't Blake's.

/No... Don't hurt her.../

But Weiss' conscious was fading fast. The amount of blood she'd lost was reaching dangerous levels, and her aura couldn't heal the wound quickly enough. She pressed both hands to her shoulder, still sobbing, and felt several deep punctures from the wolf's teeth, all leaking her lifeblood. Her heart was slamming against her chest, and all she could do was cry.

Her breathing became short and panicked, and a cough interrupted her. She was terrified to taste blood coming up her throat and sputtered on it, gagging in nausea.

/I'd just… When Blake and I had just started living together… Already… like this…/

Her eyelids struggled to stay up, the sky and trees swirled incorrigibly above her, the sounds of the fight spiraling in her head, her entire body pounding with her slowing pulse, hot and sticky and smelling of iron.

/I don't… want to die…/

. . .

Blake ended the wolf's life with another snap of the jaws around its throat, letting it bleed out and die. Just as quickly as it had started, the fight was over.

Blake panted from the exertion. She couldn't relax though; there was still a major problem at hand.

Reeling, she turned and rushed back to Weiss, and saw the other girl was in critical condition. The wound at her shoulder was massive and she had lost a lot of blood.

/Hang on, hang on-!/

Blake carefully picked Weiss up by the collar, gently taking her back to the cave as quickly as she could. Once they were inside, she laid Weiss on the ground and turned human.

Panic swept through her as she saw the extent of the wound. Blake dropped to her knees and placed her hand against Weiss' shoulder, pouring her aura into the wound. She felt tears sting her eyes and fall down against the back of her hands.

In that moment, she realized what it was she felt for this huntress; what this girl was to Blake.

"Weiss- y-you can't die! I love you! You can't die when we just became a team!"

. . .

Her eyes had closed by the time Blake had reached her, and Weiss could feel herself being lifted up, carried, and laid down again on the cold cave floor.

Everything was pain. It was all she could feel. She tasted blood - it clogged her throat and nose, bubbling as it continued to leak from her wound. She felt light and dizzy, felt the stream of tears running down her cheeks, her neck, mixing with the pool of blood.

She thought she heard a voice calling to her, and she tried to focus on her hearing, to make out what it was saying.

/Blake…?/

She was sharing her aura with Weiss. Again. Without a second thought, Blake was making an effort to save her life. But why? She was just a huntress. She wasn't that important. She wasn't the only one who felt this way about Panthers.

So why would Blake want to keep saving her when she was already so far gone?

The words weren't making sense. She thought she heard a certain phrase, but it wasn't possible. It was her imagination - Weiss knew it.

Blake kept sharing her aura, and Weiss could feel the cool sensation flowing into her, calming the searing heat and pain that throbbed within her. Weiss' chest heaved feebly as her eyes fluttered open.

Blake was hunched over her, golden eyes drowning and distraught as she cried.

/No… don't cry…/

"B... Blake-" Weiss coughed her name, tasting more blood well up in her mouth, choking as she tried to spit it out. Panic coursed through her, and she still feared for her life, more tears slipping down her face as her eyes squeeze shut again.

. . .

Blake continued to pour her aura into her wounded companion - the companion she had finally realized her feelings for. The wound had begun to heal very slowly, the flow of blood had stagnated significantly, to Blake's relief.

She wasn't even thinking anymore. She just said what she felt.

"I love you, Weiss. Please... please don't die..."

Her vision was obscured by tears. Her ears pricked when she heard Weiss try to speak, relieved that she was still alive. But the relief was quickly replaced with fear and concern when she heard Weiss coughing on her own blood.

Blake kept her hands on Weiss' shoulder, still concentrating her aura into the injury. Leaning over, she placed her lips over Weiss', sucking out the blood in the other girl's mouth. She couldn't enjoy the soft touch of Weiss' lips; the worry for the girl's life and the coppery taste of blood distracted her from it. Sitting up, she spit the blood out and went down again to repeat the process.

. . .

Weiss felt helpless. Blake was giving her enough aura that she might survive the injury, but now the blood was filling her lungs, drowning her from the inside. Another cough doubled to overlap more, leaving Weiss hacking.

Blake was speaking again, but Weiss couldn't make out the words, ears roaring and pounding as more ironlike taste filled her mouth.

Then, there were soft lips on hers, temporarily stopping Weiss' breath in order to help clear the blood that flooded her mouth. Blake kissed her again and again, and each time Weiss gasped louder - fuller - as her breath came more easily. Her own aura was helping Blake's close the open wounds, and it seemed even the internal ones were starting to heal now.

Weiss clung to her conscious dearly, knowing that blacking out now could mean certain death by choking. She forced her eyes open again, and realized the tears on her face were not hers alone.

/Blake…/

The girl pressed her lips to Weiss' again, extracting the last of the blood. Exhausted and still scared, Weiss closed her eyes again, trying to concentrate on breathing. Subconsciously, one of her hands found its way to Blake's knee, and she held on to keep herself anchored to something of this world.

. . .

Blake kissed Weiss over and over again, drawing more blood out of the girl's mouth each time. And each time it seemed Weiss could breathe a little more easily.

The wound had stopped bleeding now,and was starting to heal, and Blake could only hope that any internal bleeding was doing the same.

Weiss opened her eyes, blue meeting gold as Blake pressed another kiss to her lips. Finally, Blake had extracted the last of the blood; she had lost count of how many times she had kissed Weiss to remove it. Looking at the wound, she saw that it was almost fully healed.

/I did it... I saved her.../

There had been plenty of times in the past when she'd failed to save a friend. It was indescribable to have finally done it right.

Blake sat back on her haunches, also able to breathe more easily now that it felt like a weight had been removed from her shoulders. Weiss' hand reached out to her and settled on her knee, holding on with whatever meager strength the girl had.

"You're going to live, Weiss. I'll make sure of it..." Blake laid one of her hands atop Weiss' and gave a small reassuring squeeze.

They sat like that for an indeterminate amount of time. Quietly, Blake lifted Weiss' hand off of her knee, gave it a kiss, and stood up. Grabbing the folded blanket, Blake laid it out on the ground, and carefully she picked Weiss up in her arms and set her down on the soft fabric.

"Try and rest. You're safe. I promise. I'll protect you." Blake leaned down and pressed a kiss to Weiss' forehead.

. . .

Little sobs kept tumbling from her lips, some from relief and some from pain. But many were from frustration, because she couldn't bring herself to speak, to ask Blake to repeat what she'd said before, to ask her why she'd held those last few kisses longer than was necessary.

She panicked when Blake stood and left her, but calmed down once she returned, shifting Weiss onto the soft blanket. Blood still coated Weiss' skin and torn clothing, and the scent was making her stomach flip as nausea crept up her throat. She swallowed it back down, doing her best to slow her rapid heartbeat, to listen to what her companion was saying, let herself believe Blake's words.

She was going to live. She was going to be okay. She was safe…

Weiss could make out that much, but still was unsure of what Blake had said before.

The other girl was telling her to rest, but Weiss shook her head, wincing as an ache shot up the side of her neck.

"N-No… I don't… I'm scared… I don't want to sleep…"

She feared she wouldn't wake up again.

. . .

Blake just nodded as Weiss voiced her fears.

"Then just relax. I'm here for you, Weiss."

Blake cupped her hand at one of Weiss' cheeks. She heard the grumbling in her stomach but she ignored it, pushed the clawing hunger to the side.

I'm not going to leave you, Weiss.

Blake curled her legs underneath her body and sat next to Weiss. The white-haired girl looked so small and fragile like this - Blake only wanted to protect her. Reaching over, she tore a small piece of fabric from the shirt Weiss had given her. She used some of the water they had on the cloth. With slow and gentle strokes, Blake started cleaning the blood off of Weiss, humming as she did so.

. . .

Weiss was glad Blake didn't try to force her to sleep. Her breath whistled through her nose as her chest rose and fell, and at long last, Weiss' airways were completely clear.

She heard Blake's stomach growling, though her own felt too sick to keep anything down now even if she did eat. But she took much solace in the fact that Blake remained by her side, even though the other girl was clearly fatigued and hungry from her battle with the wolf. Weiss knew she was being selfish, but she didn't want Blake to leave.

She watched Blake tear a strip of material from the edge of her shirt, taking the canteen from Weiss' hip to wet it, and then dab the fabric over her face. It was cold, and contrasted the sweat that had beaded on her forehead, and it felt so, so good.

Weiss didn't want to fall asleep, but she let her eyelids fall shut at the sounds of Blake's humming. Her breathing slowed and deepened as Weiss did eventually fall into a light slumber, feeling Blake's aura mixing with hers with every beat of their hearts.

It let her believe she would wake up again.

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A/N: The next chapter will pick off right from here.